Phillies

No bull: Odubel Herrera has a nickname

If you're looking to give Odubel Herrera a nickname, he already has one: El Torito.

"My dad gave it to me when I was a little kid in Venezuela and it stuck," Herrera said through an interpreter.

The nickname is Spanish for "the little bull." Herrera, who looks set to be the Phillies' opening-day centerfielder, was strong and powerful when he was a kid.

"I was a little bull," Herrera said.

Herrera's nickname has been used in Venezuelan news accounts about his performance this spring. He would put his hands near his helmet after key hits this winter in Venezuela to mimic a bull's horns.

Herrera, 23, has 19 hits in 58 spring at-bats (.328). His six stolen bases lead the Phillies and are second in the majors. If he starts on opening day, Herrera will be the second Phillies player since 1970 to make his major-league debut in the opening-day lineup. The other was Freddy Galvis in 2012.